


you are the peace in my troubled sea

by Fives (janfives90)



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F, Oneshot, lighthouse au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:46:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22673521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janfives90/pseuds/Fives
Summary: There’s a pause as they both just stand where they are, then the girl seems to realize that Alyssa can see her. She jolts away from the telescope, falling into a seated position on the platform, and, even from this distance, Alyssa can tell that she’s flushed bright red. The girl scrambles into the lighthouse and doesn’t come back out.
Relationships: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 59





	you are the peace in my troubled sea

_ “You’ll be happy here, Alyssa. I promise you will be.” _

Alyssa Greene sighs as she lays on the deck just outside of her bedroom, letting the soft ocean breeze drift over her.

_ “Mom, I don’t want to move. What if Dad comes back?” _

She closes her eyes, breathing in the smell of salt.

_ “Honey… He’s not going to.” _

She swallows and rubs at her cheeks, trying to get lost in the feeling of the sunshine.

_ “But… he could. Couldn’t he?” _

* * *

“How was the first day of school?”

Alyssa shrugs and pokes at her chicken. “It was okay.”

Mrs. Greene frowns. “Just okay?”

“Yeah. Just okay. It was just a normal first day of school.”

“Well… alright.”

“I’m not very hungry. May I be excused?”

Her mother pauses for a moment before nodding. “Sure, honey.”

* * *

Alyssa digs through one of the boxes she hasn’t yet unpacked from the move, until she finds the pair of binoculars her father bought her for one of her prior birthdays.

_ “You can look at the birds out back with those, Aly.” _

She brushes some wayward dust off of the lenses.

_ “Daddy, I wanted a telescope so I could look at the stars.” _

With a soft sigh, Alyssa heads out onto her deck and leans on the railing.

_ “And you got binoculars. Now go do your homework.” _

She holds the binoculars up to her eyes, looking out at the horizon, where a boat is slowly crossing in the distance. She follows a seagull as it flies in towards the shore, and, as she turns, her gaze moves towards the lighthouse on the other side of the bay.

She freezes as she sees a girl standing on a platform at the top of the light, looking through a telescope that’s pointed towards her.

There’s a pause as they both just stand where they are, then the girl seems to realize that Alyssa can see her. She jolts away from the telescope, falling into a seated position on the platform, and, even from this distance, Alyssa can tell that she’s flushed bright red. The girl scrambles into the lighthouse and doesn’t come back out.

Alyssa waits for a few minutes before lowering her binoculars.

“Huh,” she murmurs softly.

* * *

Alyssa comes home from school, rushes to finish her homework, and sits on her deck, binoculars pointed towards the lighthouse.

She only needs to wait for a few minutes before the girl steps out and sits down on the platform, but this time she doesn’t go to the telescope. Instead, she leans back against the lighthouse, looking out towards the water, and plays an acoustic guitar.

Alyssa can’t hear it, but for some reason it’s as if she can feel it in her heart.

It feels weird, watching a girl she doesn’t know who doesn’t know she’s there, but she can’t pull herself away.

She sits there on the deck, watching the girl play her guitar, until Mrs. Greene calls her down for dinner.

* * *

She uses her allowance to buy a large pad of paper, tape, and some markers, and makes a mumbled excuse of ‘homework’ before running it up to her room.

She writes out ‘I’M ALYSSA’, then tapes it to the outside of the door to her deck.

* * *

The next day, when she gets home from school and looks across the bay, she sees a sign taped just below the window of the lighthouse, a message scrawled in a messy handwriting in green ink.

‘HI ALYSSA. I’M EMMA.’

* * *

‘WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?’

Alyssa smiles and writes out, ‘PURPLE’.

* * *

She doesn’t miss the way her heart skips a little when she looks across the next day to see Emma sitting with her guitar, under a sign that says ‘GOT IT.’ written in purple ink.

* * *

‘DO YOU KNOW TAYLOR SWIFT SONGS?’

‘MAYBE I’M ALREADY PLAYING SOME’

‘LIAR’

‘:)’

* * *

Alyssa lies on her bed, talking to the stuffed raccoon she’s had since she was a child.

“Is it ridiculous to have a crush on someone you’ve never met and have never spoken to?” She rolls over onto her stomach, holding the stuffed animal out in front of her. “I mean, how would I even know if I did? What’s a crush supposed to feel like? At school Kaylee and Shelby have talked about their crushes on  _ boys _ but this isn’t anything like that. I’m not anything like that. Are crushes supposed to feel the same? How do I know if they do? How do I know if someone’s… I mean, am I supposed to just ask? Or do I ask her… on a date? Wait, shit, no, I can’t date until I’m at least sixteen while chaperoned and seventeen without chaperone and there’s no way my mom would let me date- I’m overthinking this, aren’t I?”

The stuffed raccoon does not respond.

“Yeah, I agree, I think I’m overthinking this.”

* * *

“Hey, Mom! I’m going down to the beach to take a run!”

“Alright, honey! Be careful! Don’t go too close to the water!”

Alyssa, already halfway out the door, leans back in to yell, “I know, Mom!”

* * *

In order to make her timing believable, she has to sprint most of the way across the beach, until she gets to the stairs that lead up to the cliff where the lighthouse sits. Alyssa climbs up them before pausing to catch her breath, then goes over to the door of the small house next to the structure, knocking politely.

An old woman answers and squints at her. “Can I help you, dear?”

“U-Uh…” Her brain goes blank, any idea of what to say gone from her mind.

Behind the woman, a teenager comes down the steps and freezes the moment she sees who’s at the door. “Alyssa?”

“Emma,” Alyssa whispers.

“Oh, Emma, is this a friend of yours?” The woman gives Emma a look that’s almost gleeful, and Emma blushes.

“Uh, y-yeah, Gran. This is Alyssa.”

Alyssa clears her throat and holds out her hand. “Alyssa Greene, ma’am.”

“Betsy Nolan. I’m Emma’s grandmother.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine. Would you like-”

“I promised I’d show Alyssa the lighthouse today,” Emma blurts out, clearly flustered. “So, uh, I should go do that, Gran.”

Betsy raises an eyebrow at her, a look that Alyssa recognizes as one that is parent-speak for  _ ‘you’re full of shit and I know it’. _ Surprisingly, though, Betsy just nods. “Well, go on, then.”

Emma grabs a sweatshirt off of a nearby hook and pulls it on as she steps outside, pausing briefly before taking Alyssa’s hand and leading her towards the lighthouse.

* * *

“I’m sorry for showing up unannounced,” Alyssa says.

“It’s not a problem. I’m sorry I didn’t think to invite you over sooner.” Emma grimaces. “And I’m sorry for rushing you out back there. I didn’t really want the girl I just officially met to be subjected to the Betsy Nolan Guide To How To Embarrass Her Granddaughter With Stories.”

“I mean, that might be a fun afternoon.”

Emma gives her a look, and Alyssa grins.

“Maybe another day?”

“I suppose I owe you that much, given that you caught me staring at you through a telescope.” Emma rubs the back of her neck shyly. “I apologize for that. I like looking out at the boats during the day, and when I went a bit too far and saw you sitting on your deck, I got curious.”

“Considering the fact that I’ve watched you play your guitar for like an hour and a half, I can’t really judge.”

Emma laughs and opens the door at the top of the lighthouse steps. “Well, good.” She leads Alyssa out onto the platform, and Alyssa lets out a soft whistle. “Oh, wow. I knew it was tall, but I didn’t realize how much you could see from up here.”

“Yeah, it’s quite the view. I like to get lost in it sometimes.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen you at school. I looked for you.”

Emma’s eyes go soft. “You looked for me?”

Alyssa shrugs, suddenly feeling bashful. “Well… yeah.”

Emma leans on the railing of the platform, waiting for Alyssa to lean next to her. “What grade are you in?”

“I’m fourteen. I’m a freshman in high school.”

“Ah. That would do it. They held me back last year, so I’m in eighth grade even though I’m fourteen, too.” Emma chews on her lip. “I’m trying to do well enough that they let me back where I’m supposed to be, but I’m not sure how well it’s going to work out. It wasn’t  _ my _ fault, so I should get credit for that.”

Alyssa gives her a curious look. “Why’d they hold you back?”

Emma looks down and scuffs her sneakers against the platform. “My, uh… My parents ditched me with my grandmother, and it took a little while to get all my paperwork and transcripts and everything together. I kept up with the schoolwork anyway but the school didn’t think it was good enough so they didn’t let me go into eighth grade as soon as we sorted it out.”

“That sucks. I’m sorry.” Alyssa swallows, unintentionally letting anger slip into her voice. “They  _ ditched _ you?”

“Well. More ‘kicked me out’.” Emma gives a strained smile. “I’m not that unhappy about it, if I’m being really honest.”

“Why would they kick you out?” Alyssa flinches. “Sorry. That’s too personal of a question for a first meeting.”

Emma laughs. “No, it’s okay.” She rubs the back of her neck again and shrugs. “I, uh…” She drops her voice to a whisper. “They just don’t like who I am, I guess.”

The words hit somewhere right in the deepest part of Alyssa’s soul, and she rubs her palm with her thumb. “I don’t think she’d make me leave, but I don’t think my mom would like knowing who I really am, either.”

There’s a long pause before Emma turns her head and looks at her. “I won’t tell anyone,” she says softly.

Alyssa swallows before meeting her gaze. “Neither will I.”

Emma shifts just a tiny bit closer to her, pointing out towards the sky. “There’s a storm coming in,” she murmurs. “You can see it in the clouds. Sometimes I’ll sit up here and watch the waves until the rain or wind gets too bad.”

“Isn’t that scary?” Alyssa asks, slipping her hand into Emma’s and shivering as a heavy breeze brushes over them.

“A little. But it’s pretty peaceful, too.”

Alyssa leans against her, breathing in the salty air as the clouds darken ahead of them. “Do you think your grandmother would let me ride out the storm at your place if it lasts a while? If I text my mom and she says it’s okay? I-I want to sit here and watch with you.”

Emma tightens her grip on Alyssa’s hand and gives her a small smile. “I think she’d be thrilled, honestly.”

Alyssa sends off the message, then joins Emma as she sits down on the platform, leaning against the lighthouse.

She hesitates only a moment before leaning her head against Emma’s shoulder, still holding her hand as they watch the rain begin to fall.


End file.
